Just another case
by khollie
Summary: How could just getting a little lunch be so hard?


**Just Another Case  
by : Deanna Jordon**

Disclaimer: The TV show "Starsky and Hutch", and the characters from it are the property of the persons who hold the copyrights and other legal rights to them This story is a work of fiction, written for pleasure only and not for profit. It is no intended, in any way, to infringe on these preexisting copyrights.   
Summary: A hostage situation hits too close to home  
Warnings: Violence, h/c, angst

Starsky flexed his hand again, feeling the cold metal encircling his wrists behind his back. He was sitting on the floor with his back up against the wall, staring at the shelves of cups and glasses in the serving counter of the cafe. Beside him, he could see the legs of one of the three men who had stormed the small coffee shop. From what he had been able to overhear, the three were running from a bank robbery gone bad. They had stopped at the coffee shop to steal another car. Things had not gone as they had planned, largely due to a certain detective from Metro PD.

Starsky craned his neck to try and see past the end of the bar. Two of the gunmen had taken up positions in front of the cafe windows, kneeling on the seat of the booth. They were muttering curses at the array of cop cars in the road in front of the cafe. Starsky grinned as heard the voice of his partner outside, trying to convince the men to give themselves up. "Still trying to take care of me, huh buddy?" He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed as he replayed the day's events  
in his mind.

"Hutch, I'm telling ya, I'm a big boy now and I can take care of myself!" Starsky shouted at his blond haired partner. His dark curly hair was plastered to his neck in the July heat and his blue eyes shot sparks as he regarded the man on the other side of the desk.

Ken Hutchinson looked like he had been struck. "All I'm saying Starsk, is that you need to slow down. This is your first week back after all. The docs said..." he didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Man, I am tired of you and the doctor's and everyone else telling me what I should be doing! I'm fine." David Starsky stood up, kicking his chair back. "I got shot okay? It's not the first time, it won't be the last, and I don't need you reminding of that every minute of every damn day. Just leave me the hell alone!" Starsky stared at Hutch for a long minute before turning and stomping out of the room.

Starsky stalked down the hall and out of the building. He practically ran to his beloved red and white Gran Torino and stood by it's side, hugging his arms to his body. In his heart, he knew that Hutch was worried about him. The shot had nicked his head and given him a major concussion. He had been unconscious for nearly a week before showing signs of waking up. He had been lucky that the doctors had moved fast to slow the build up of pressure in his brain, pressure that would have killed  
him. He had spent two months on the injured list, with Hutch playing nursemaid over him the entire time. 

At first, Starsky had welcomed the help, but during the last two weeks of his enforced "vacation", he had begun to resent Hutch's continued presence. Even now that he was back at work, Hutch continued to try to do for him, bringing him coffee, handing him his jacket, asking if he was really sure he was up to the job. Starsky had put up with it for two days before blowing his stack. 

Starsky rubbed his hands over his face, knowing that he had to go back inside and apologize for losing his cool. Hutch had only been worried about him trying to do to much too soon. They had been involved in a major car chase yesterday and had helped on a drug bust just hours ago. The perps had all been captured after a quick exchange of gunfire. Starsky had actually captured the final suspect after a mile long foot chase and a violent, if brief, fight. Hutch had had to help his tired partner up off the hot concrete when Starsky's legs had refused to support his weight.

Starsky had been embarrassed at his weakness and insisted on returning to the station to begin the paperwork. It had been Hutch's suggestion for him to go home early and get some rest that had triggered the explosion. Starsky hated needing help and resented the fact that he could be read so easily by his partner. Starsky sighed again, this introspective wasn't helping him, he still had to apologize to Hutch. Pushing himself off the car, Starsky decided to make a quick trip to the little cafe he and Hutch frequented. Both men had missed lunch and the coffee shop made great sandwiches. He would get lunch for them both and then make his apologizes.

Pulling up to the cafe, the curly headed detective parked on the side street around the corner from the building. The coffee shop sat on the corner of the small side street and had no parking in front. Starsky paid no attention to the other two cars parked on the street as he walked to the entrance. He pushed open the small door and walked up to the bar stretching across the back of the room. A smile crossed his face when he saw the petite woman behind the bar. Her reddish brown hair was  
tied back in a bun and a white apron was tied around her trim waist.

"How ya doing, Lyn?" Starsky asked, sitting down on one of the red vinyl stools in front of the counter. He and Lyn Schwartz had been friends for a few months now, and had even gone out together on a couple of dates.

Lyn didn't smile back. "I've had better days, Dave," the frightened waitress said, keeping her hands flat on the top of the bar.

Starsky heard footsteps behind him and whirled on the stool, not managing to get his gun out before he found the business end of a .357 pointed at his head. Starsky put his hands out to his sides and stared hard at the face behind the gun. "Take it easy now, no one needs to get hurt here." he said softly.

"Take your own advice, mister and keep your hands where I can see them." the gunman advised. "Matt, take his keys, then tie the both of them up." Matt, a lean young man with red hair, came forward to collect Starsky's keys. He jumped back in fear when he spotted the Beretta tucked into Starsky's shoulder holster.

"He's got a gun, Len!" Matt's voice cracked in fear.

Starsky could see Len tightening his finger on the trigger. He forced himself to remain calm and stared his captor in the eye.

Len spared a glace at his partner. "Go get Luke, then search this guy." Matt walked quickly to the back of the cafe as Len focused his gaze back on the dark haired man in his sights. "Who are you, mister?"

"I'm a cop." Starsky saw no point in trying to deny what would soon be obvious. He could only hope that he could keep the three men from killing anyone today.

Lyn was watching the drama unfold before her with growing horror. She had no doubt that the three gunmen would kill her and Starsky before they left. She looked longingly at the small red button under the shelf. Charlie, the owner as well as the cook, had put in the silent alarm two months ago after the store beside them had been robbed. Lyn slid her hand forward to the button, keeping her brown eyes on the men in front of her. Her hand found the button and pressed it. She felt beads of  
sweat pop out on her forehead and moved her hand up slowly to wipe her face.

The redhead and a tall black man joined Len and Starsky at the bar. Luke did a fast, but thorough search of Starsky and found his gun, badge and handcuffs. Without a word, he backhanded the hapless detective with his own gun and stood over him, noting with satisfaction that his victim was unconscious. 

"Stop!" The words were out of Lyn's mouth before she could stop herself. "You'll kill him!" She bit her fist to keep herself from saying anything more as Luke turned the gun on her. Certain she was going to die, Lyn closed her eyes and waited for the shot that would end her life. Laughter greeted her instead. 

"You've got nerve woman. I'll give you that much!" Len motioned to the prone detective. "Get over here." His green eyes never left her face as she came around the end of the bar and knelt down beside Starsky. Len threw her the cuffs. "Cuff his hands behind his back."

Sobbing quietly, Lyn did as she was told, trying not to make the cuffs very tight. Len's hand jerked her away as she fastened the second cuff. He grasped the cold metal and tightened it as far as he could squeeze it. "Now he ain't goin' nowhere." he muttered under his breath.  
Lyn scooted back to Starsky as Len stood back up. Untying her apron, she used a corner of it to blot the blood from his lip.

"Ain't that sweet." Matt looked down at her with a leer on his face. "Why waste your time on a pig? I'll let you take care of me." Leaning down toward Lyn, Matt was suddenly flung on his back by a well placed kick from the downed officer.

"Keep your hands off her." Starsky spit out as he struggled to sit up.

"Why you! I oughta..." Matt raised his gun to hit Starsky, stopping only when Len laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Later Matt. Right now, I have plans for him. His car has got to be here somewhere close. We can use it to make our getaway. We'll take the hero with us. The cops won't risk his life, no matter what they say about not 'negotiating' for their own." Len gave the officer a sardonic grin. "Ain't that right, cop?"

Starsky struggled to hold his tongue. Anything he said right now would only get him and Lyn killed. He looked down at the floor, willing the headache to pass so he could think clearly. A slight smile crossed his face when he heard the approaching sirens. Beside him, he could feel Lyn's nervousness.

"I'm scared. These guys just burst in. They've got Sid locked in the freezer." she paused to rub her arms. Stealing a sideways glance at the gunmen, she added, "I called the cops, Dave. We have a silent alarm. Help is on the way."

"Good girl." Starsky whispered back. He raised his head to look at their captors. The sounds of approaching sirens cut through the hot air, silencing whatever he was about to say.

"Cops! Dammit Len! We've got cops all over the place!" Matt screamed out as he broke out the nearest window and fired off a shot at the leading black and white unit.

Len rushed over to the younger man, landing a hard punch to his face and knocking him down to the ground. "What the hell are you doing?" he yelled. "Are you trying to get killed, little brother?"

Matt raised his hand to his lip to check for blood. Nothing was visible on his hand, causing the redhead to relax slightly. "I'm sorry, man. I got shook. It wasn't supposed to go down like this. You said this would be easy." Blue eyes locked onto the green ones in front of him.

"In the building. This is the police. Throw down your weapons and come out with your hands behind your head." The disembodied voice was hard and flat.

Len smashed out more of the glass with his gun butt. "Stay out pig! I"ve got hostages. One of them's a cop, so unless you want a dead man on your hands, you just back off!"  
The voice came back. "Who is in there with you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!" Len thought fast. "Get me a car! Me and my friends want out of here. You get us a car and an escort to Mexico, then I'll turn the pig loose." 

"I can't do that. Just send out the hostages and I promise you won't be hurt!"

"Hah! I know how you pigs operate. You go get me someone I can talk to." Len motioned with his hand for Lyn to walk over to him. Slowly, the woman walked to his side, feeling her heart stop beating as he grabbed her by the neck and held the gun to her temple. Together, they opened the front door and stepped out.

"You wrong move and she's dead! I don't need her, so don't push me!" his voice was cracking with the strain.

One of the officers stood up, carefully pointing his gun at Len. He addressed the girl. "Are you all right, Miss?" 

Lyn swallowed hard before answering. "I'm ok, but..." 

"No more talking." Len hissed into her ear. His hand closed harder on her throat. Now he called back to the cops. "One hour! One hour, then I start killing people." The gunman and his hostage disappeared back inside the cafe.

Officer Pete Malloy resumed his position behind the door of his squad car and reached for the radio. "This is One Adam 12 We have a situation at 792 East Wyman. Send back-up and a hostage negotiation team."

"10-4, Adam 12. Back up is on the way. ETA is 2 minutes."

"Roger. One Adam 12 out." Malloy mopped his brow as he stared at his watch. Two minutes, time enough for anything and everything to go wrong.

"Parker, Samuels! Get out to 792 Wyman and back up the hostage team there. We have a bunch of crazies holed up in a diner. The SWAT team is on route but I want you there just in case." Captain Dobey watched in satisfaction as the two detectives raced out of the room without a word. It was good to know that at least some of his men obeyed without question. Now he turned to look at one of his detectives who almost never obeyed an order without getting his say.

"Hutchinson! Where is that partner of yours?"

Hutch looked up at the clock in surprise. Nearly an hour had passed since Starsky had stormed out of the squad room. "I don't know Cap. He walked out earlier. He was really wiped from this morning. I've been expecting him to call. My guess is he went over to Huggy's for some lunch." Hutch tried to sound nonchalant, not an easy thing to do with his heart trying to force it's way into his throat.

"Well, find him and get back on those reports. Vice has been calling me every half hour wanting them." Dobey looked once more for his errant detective before striding back to his office and slamming the door. Hutch grinned as he picked up the phone to call Huggy.

Huggy Bear was a tall and lean black man with a sordid past. He had been one of Starsky and Hutch's first reliable snitches and had turned into one of their closest friends. Huggy had started out life as a con man, but now had his own bar, a little place called The Pits. He still kept a close eye on everything that went on in the district and, more often than not, knew what was happening before the parties involved knew. Everyone trusted Huggy, in spite of his close ties to Starsky and Hutch, a fact  
that was no secret.

"Hey, Huggy!" Hutch's voice boomed over the phone. "Is my overgrown kid of a partner there?"

"Sorry man. I ain't seen him all day. What's up?" Huggy's eyebrows creased together when he heard that Starsky had pulled a disappearing act from his job. "I'll ask around. He probably went home. Have you called there yet?" 

"That's my next call, Hug. If you see him, tell him to get his butt back here. There's no way I'm doing all these reports by myself!" Laughing, trying to cover the worry in his voice, Hutch hung up and dialed Starsky's home phone.

Hutch listened with increasing worry as Starsky's home phone continued to ring. "14...15...16...Damn!" Hutch slammed down the receiver as he realized his missing partner wasn't going to pick up the phone. The blond man picked up a pencil and tapped nervously on the desk, trying to decide where Starsky might have gone. He leaned forward again and picked up the phone, dialing an extension number to the radio communications center.

"This is Sgt. Hutchinson. Connect me with Zebra 3." Hutch requested.

"Right away Sgt. Hold please."

Anxious moments passed as Hutch clutched the phone tightly. Finally, the officer came back on. "I'm sorry Sgt. Zebra 3 isn't answering radio communications. I'm showing Sgt. Starsky as logged in at Metro."

"Thank you." Hutch said simply, as he hung up the phone. He stared at the clock again. "Where the hell are you, Starsky?"

Lt. Bud Evans made his way up to where Pete Malloy was crouched down behind his patrol car. "What do we have in there?" The slightly built hostage negotiator was known for his no-nonsense attitude and get-it done strategies. Malloy almost felt sorry for the men holed up in the cafe.

"It looks like two, maybe three men, all armed, with at least two hostages. We've seen a woman, and they claim to have a cop in there. We haven't been able to confirm that." Malloy reported, resting his gun hand on the open window of his car door.

Evans sighed, this wasn't going to be easy. "We have a report of an attempted bank robbery over on Wilson about 30 minutes ago. Three men, all armed, got away with nothing. Have you run the plates on the cars parked in front of the cafe?"

Malloy shook his head no and holstered his gun, taking out a note pad to start writing down the license plate numbers of the cars he could see in the immediate area. With that finished, he would run checks on all of them, hopefully coming up with the name of at least one of their suspects. 

Inside the cafe, Len surveyed the scene outside. He hadn't planned on things going wrong with the bank heist. The operation was planned perfectly, until the car had refused to start. The three men had been forced to run from the approaching sirens, abandoning their ill gotten gains in the process. They had run until Matt had seen the empty diner, electing to hide until the ruckus had died down.

Luke had shoved the cook into the freezer while Matt and Len sat with the waitress out front. To a casual observer, it would have looked like business as usual inside the diner. Things had been working perfectly until the arrival of Starsky. Len looked at his hostage again, "Damn pig." he muttered aloud.

Making a decision, Len stood up and motioned to Luke. "Go get the cook and bring him out here. We might as well have all our eggs in one basket. Cop, you better hope that your friends out there don't decide to try something stupid." 

Starsky leveled a look on the man that would have frozen an iceberg. "I don't care what they do, as long as your ass goes to jail for a long time." Cold eyes bored into the green fury in the gunman's face. "If you're smart, you'll let Lyn and the cook go, and just deal with me. The cops out there will be a hell of a lot more patient with you, if they know that it is another cop in here instead of civilians. I won't panic, unlike the girl here." Starsky favored Lyn with a gentle smile, his lips curving up in   
encouragement.

"Doesn't work like that, cop. I'm calling the shots here, not them, and not you." Len broke off as Luke and the cook entered the room.

Luke gave the older man a hard shove, sending him sprawling into Lyn. Both the man and the woman hit the floor as Lyn tried to catch her boss. Starsky jumped up from the stool he was seated on. "Easy there! An old man isn't gonna cause you any trouble." Now he turned to the cook. "Are you ok, Sid?"

Sid rubbed his arms for warmth. "I am now. What's going on out here?" The balding cook listened as Starsky outlined the problem. "Sounds like these three are on edge." Sid stole a glance at Lyn before leaning conspiratorially close to the trussed up detective. "What do you think our chances of getting out of here are?" The look in Starsky's blue eyes gave him the answer he dreaded hearing.

Hutch had given up on the reports and now sat at his desk, gnawing on the end of a pencil. His partner had been gone now for an hour and a half. A feeling of dread had clamped down on the blond man's gut, and nothing he could do dispelled the feeling that his partner was in trouble.

He wanted to run out and look for him, but decided against it. Maybe Starsky was right. He had been smothering him of late, maybe Starsky took off just to have a little breathing space. Hutch knew that his headstrong partner was perfectly capable of taking off and not returning for hours, just to teach his overprotective friend a lesson. Forcing down his anxiety, Hutch returned to his typewriter, determined to at least accomplish something constructive today.

Lt. Evans sighed as he rubbed both hands over his tired features. The check on the cars outside of the restaurant had turned up nothing. One of the SWAT team sharpshooters reported seeing three hostages, one of them apparently bound, but couldn't see the face well enough to make an identification. If the gunman was telling the truth, one of those people inside was a fellow cop, a cop who right now, no one knew was missing. He decided to try to talk to the leader again.

"In the cafe! I'm going to call you on the phone. I want you to pick up and talk to me. We really need to get things resolved here." His answer was a single shot that shattered the glass of the squad car Evans was standing beside. "So much for the easy approach." he muttered as he walked back to the rest of his team to plan a rescue attempt.

Inside the cafe, Lyn sat huddled on the floor between Sid and Starsky. She was trying to hide the trembling in her hands by twisting the bloody edge of her apron. She looked at the corner, stained with Starsky's blood, and dropped the piece of cloth. She tried to watch the clock on the wall, concentrating on the sweep second hand as it made it's leisurely way around the clock. God, had it only been 2 hours since this nightmare had begun? She shivered and tried to scoot even closer to  
the wall at her back. She looked up when she felt eyes on her.

Matt licked his lips as he stared at the girl on the floor. He made up his mind and moved to stand in front of Lyn. "Hey sweetheart. How about you and me go make some sandwiches in the kitchen. A fellow could get really hungry standing here." The leer in his eyes told everyone that eating was the last thing on his mind.  
"You want some food, I'll go make it." Sid spoke up, beginning to stand.

Matt shoved the bigger man back down on the cold floor. "Stay down old man. This is between the girl and me."

"Like hell it is." Sid's breath was becoming ragged with anger.

Matt reached down and hauled Lyn to her feet with one hand. "Let's go darling."

"NO!" Sid used his feet to topple the young man, then fell on top of him, wresting him for the gun. Starsky moved to help, but felt the top of his head grabbed and yanked back. He moved his eyes up into Luke's angry face.

Silence reigned as the two men fought for the gun. Len had come over and was holding onto Lyn's elbow, while Luke kept a firm grip on Starsky's hair, yanking his head up and back. The fight ended with the sound of a gunshot and Lyn's scream of terror.

Evans was talking to the Captain of the SWAT team when both heard the twin sounds of the shot and the scream echo from the building. Fingers tightened on triggers as all of the men surrounding the cafe waited for more shots to ring out.

Now, the SWAT Captain raised his walkie-talkie. "Team leader to position one. You see anything?"

"Negative Team Leader."

"Pass the word, hold your fire. Let's see what happens before we make our next move." The Captain looked at the diner, feeling fingers of tension snaking their way through his neck and shoulders. He picked up the radio, and placed another call into the diner.

"Sid!" Lyn's scream tore out of her throat as she fell to her knees beside her dead friend. "You killed him! You killed him, you bastard! He was just protecting me!" Lyn buried her face in Sid's shirt, sobbing loudly.

Luke let go of Starsky's hair and pulled Lyn up from the body. He gave her a shove toward the wall where Starsky was sitting. Lyn fell into Starsky's lap and clutched onto his shirt, needing to feel the security there. Starsky rubbed his chin on her hair as he murmured soft words of comfort.

Len had helped Matt up off the floor and now stood, looking scornfully at his younger brother. "What the hell did you do that for? Are you just trying to get us killed over some tramp waitress?"  
Matt studied the tops of his shoes rather than face his brother. "I was just gonna have a little fun. That old man should've stayed out of my way."

"That old man damn near killed you!" There was no mistaking the fury in Len's voice. "Now I have to figure out what to do with him."

"I told you this wasn't gonna work." Starsky's voice cut in. "Why don't you let the girl go now? You've made your point. Now, let her go and just keep me. You don't need her anymore, and you can keep control of your little brother that much easier." Starsky's blue eyes were chips of ice in his pale face.

The ringing of the telephone cut off whatever Len was going to say. He picked it up gingerly, keeping a close eye on Matt as he did. "What?"

"I've got a dead hostage in here. I told you cops to get me a car and an escort out or else! ..."No, you can't...let me think about it." Len slammed the phone down and pointed his gun at Starsky. 

"Ok pig, here's how it's gonna go. You take the dead man out and leave him. Then you come back in here and I'll let the girl go. Maybe seeing a dead hostage will convince your friends out there that I mean business."

Matt grabbed Len's elbow, jerking him around. "Leave the girl here."

Len gripped his brother's wrist hard, squeezing it until beads of pain induced sweat broke out on Matt's face. "I said, the girl goes. I want you thinking with your brain, not your gonads." Len dropped Matt's wrist and walked over to his hostages. "Get up, cop."

Starsky levered his way up from the floor, almost grateful for Luke's hand pulling him up by his elbow. He fought to keep his anger in check as Luke frisked him for the handcuff keys. Luke found the keys and unlocked the cuffs. Starsky glared at him as he massaged his aching wrists, trying to restore some feeling to them. He slowly made his way to Sid's body and knelt down beside it.

Feeling old and tired, Starsky picked up his friend and settled him into a fireman's carry over his shoulder.

Len stood behind Lyn, pointing his gun at her head. His eyes told Starsky exactly what would happen if Starsky failed to return. Starsky looked him in the eyes for a full minute before turning to the front door. Matt opened the door, careful to stay out of sight.

Lt. Evans, Captain Joshua, and Officer Malloy watched as the front door of the cafe opened slowly. All three men trained their weapons on the door as Starsky made his way out. In the middle of the street, Starsky stopped and gently laid his burden down. Not a word was exchanged as Starsky noted the abundance of officers at the scene. His shoulders sagged as he turned and re-entered the cafe.  
Evans let out the breath he had been holding and turned to the tall, dark- haired uniformed officer behind him. "Reed, get on the horn and call Metro. Tell them Sgt. David Starsky is the officer involved here."

Hutch put down the report he was signing and answered the ringing telephone, hoping that it was his errant partner. "Hutchinson." The blond head sank, his hand coming up to cover his eyes as he listened. "I'll be right there." He hung up slowly, fighting to still his shaking hands. Grabbing his coat off the back of his chair, Hutch walked quickly to Captain Dobey's office, pushing open the door without bothering to knock.

"I found Starsky. He's being held in that diner over on Wyman. I need a car from the motor pool." Hutch explained breathlessly, the nervousness disappearing, as the adrenaline started surging through his body.

"I'll go with you You can fill me in on the way over." Dobey could move fast when he needed to, despite his bulk. Hutch found himself half jogging to keep up with his superior officer. "Hold on Starsk. I'm coming." he chanted to himself, "Just hold on buddy."

Inside the diner, Starsky was recuffed by Luke and pushed down on the floor behind the serving bar. From this position, he was only able to see the shelves of glasses in front of him. He heard Len talking to Lyn.

"Ok girl. You go out real slow. Any moves on the cop's part, and I blow your head off, got it?"

"I got it. What about Dave?" Lyn's voice answered. Starsky was pleased to hear the note of defiance in her tone.

A slap, followed by Lyn's cry. "Don't worry about him. Just get out of here." Starsky heard the door open, followed by Len shouting that the girl was leaving and for the officers around to stay still. Seconds later, the door was slammed shut again. Starsky closed his eyes and put his head down on his chest, giving in to the weariness he was feeling. "Come on Hutch. I need a hand here buddy." Starsky vowed to never fight with Hutch again about being overprotective.

Hutch forced himself to be calm as Dobey pulled up to the scene. He followed the bigger man up to the front of the crowd, never taking his eyes off the diner. He was vaguely aware of Lt. Evans giving a quick sketch of what had been happening. A hand on his arm brought him back to awareness.

"What?" Hutch looked up to see Dobey's brown eyes locked on him.  
"I said, why don't you go and question the girl. See what she can tell us about the men inside." Dobey pointed to the red headed waitress sitting in the back of a patrol car down the block.

Giving himself a quick mental shake, Hutch forced a wan smile onto his face. "Sure Cap." Hutch made his over to the car where Lyn was sitting. He could tell she was crying and twisting the corner of her apron. His heart nearly stopped as he saw the blood stain on the corner, blood that he knew was Starsky's.

"Hey Lyn. How're ya holding up?" Hutch squatted down next to the open door.

"Hutch! I tried to stop him but they killed him! They killed him!" Sobbing openly now, the petite woman flung herself into Hutch's arms. "He's dead and it's all my fault!"

Hutch stroked her hair, unable to ask the question. He noticed a young, dark haired officer approach and squatted down next to them.

"Sgt. Hutchinson?" 

"Yes. I'm Hutchinson. Who...?"

"The cook, a man named Sid Greenfield. One of the perps was trying to assault the girl here and Greenfield attacked him. He was shot trying to wrestle with the perp. Your partner, Sgt. Starsky, carried him out of the diner. After he went back in, they let the girl go." The young officer took off his hat, wiped the inside brim, and put it back on. "My name's Jim Reed. I met your partner a few months ago. He seems like a really good guy."

"Thanks Reed, he is. Would you mind getting the lady some water?" Hutch disentangled Lyn's death grip on him as Reed left. "Come on Lyn, I need your help, Dave needs your help." Hutch helped the young woman sit back in the seat.

Lyn wiped her eyes with her apron as she tried to even out her breathing. She took several deep breaths before trusting herself to speak again. Reed returned with the water and she drank it all before letting out a final sigh. "How can I help, Hutch?" 

"That's a girl. I need you to tell me exactly what happened in there. Who are these guys, how are they armed, how is Dave?" Hutch pulled one of his better grins out and pasted it onto his face.

Lyn swallowed hard before she began. "There are three of them..."

Inside the diner, Starsky strained to hear what was going on outside. He had seen the impressive number of squad cars outside and knew that help was on its way. Right now though, he wasn't sure that he would live to receive that help. An angry snarl brought him out of his reverie.

"Dammit Len! I'm not a kid anymore! I say we march right out of here with that pig and make him drive us to Mexico. Those cops won't dare fire on us as long as we have him." Matt shouted in his brother's face.

"Look Matt, I'll say what we do and don't do. Right now, we just need to sit here. I need to think." Len's voice was tinged with weariness.

"Fine! You think of a way out of this! I don't give a damn!" Matt marched over to stare down at Starsky. "What do say, cop?"

"I say your brother's the one with the brains here." Starsky glared up at the young man from his seat on the floor. "You know it's only a matter of time before those cops out there come in here. Holding me ain't gonna make no difference to them. We all know that we're expendable. I expect them to take you out, and maybe me too." Starsky tried not to let the pain and weariness he felt into his voice. His head was throbbing from the earlier beating and it was becoming harder to stay focused on what was going on.

Matt knelt down and grabbed Starsky by the hair, forcing the detective to look up at him. "Just remember pig, you die first!"

"As long as I see your sorry ass go down with me." was Starsky's low reply. He let out a groan as Matt threw his head down against his chest before walking off. Starsky rolled his head around, trying to relieve the stiffness in his neck. His wished he knew whether or not Hutch was even aware that his hot headed partner was in trouble.

Outside the cafe, Hutch had finished interviewing Lyn and now felt he had a good idea of the mental state of the men trapped inside the diner. He wanted to be able to tell Starsky that he was around and knew he only had one shot. Quickly, he told his idea to Evans who gave his go-ahead.

"In the cafe! This is Det. Sgt. Hutchinson. Things will go a lot easier on you if you give yourselves up now. I think I can even talk the old man's death down to an accident if you come out now. The longer this goes on, the more nervous these cops out here get. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold these SWAT guys back." Hutch dropped the mic and turned to Dobey.

"Now that Starsky knows I'm here, I can get to work. I think I can get in the back door without being spotted. Lyn gave me a key." Hutch bounced the key up and down in his hand while he thought.

"I don't like it. There are three of them in there. What if they spot you first? Starsky could get caught in the middle and then where would we be?" Dobey argued.

"And if I don't try? Where will Starsky be? He's counting on me, Cap." Hutch knew that he had played his trump card and now he waited for an answer.

"Do it. Take Reed and Malloy as backup. I'll get Evans to call them on the phone again to draw their attention." Dobey said gruffly.

"Thanks, Cap!" Hutch hurried off before Dobey could change his mind.

Hutch led the way as he and the two uniformed officers made their way around to the back of the restaurant. With their guns drawn, Reed and Malloy flattened themselves on either side of the back door as Hutch tried the key Lyn had given him. Feeling the key turn, Hutch grasped the knob and turned it carefully. He traded glances with the two officers before easing the door open. Hutch had pulled the door halfway open when a shrill ringing sounded. "Alarm! Damn! Get back!" Hutch yelled  
as shots came from inside the cafe.

Hutch and the uniforms ran for the safety of a large metal garbage dumpster before returning fire. Hutch emptied his clip at the door, stopping only when he was out of ammo. He looked behind him at his backup and swore under his breath.

Reed was lying on the ground with his partner straddling his back, laying down a cover fire for Hutch. Both men holstered their guns when they realized the shooter from inside had stopped firing as well. Malloy turned his attention back to his partner. "How ya doing, Jim?"

Jim Reed sat up shakily. "Just a leg wound. Give me a hand, will ya?" Reed reached up and took the proffered hands, wobbling a bit until Hutch and Malloy put his arms around their necks for the trip back to the squad car. There, Hutch left the two men and went to report his failure to Dobey.

Inside the diner, Matt stood over Luke's lifeless body and seethed. "Now what, Len! How much longer till we die too!"

"Shut up! Just shut up, Matt! Now that they know the back door is rigged, we don't have to worry about them trying that again." Len reached down and pulled Starsky to his feet by the front of his shirt. "Come here hero! Let's go talk to your pals."

Hutch walked back to Dobey with his head down and worry written on his handsome features. He felt responsible for Reed being wounded and wondered if Starsky was still alive after the failed rescue attempt. He never looked up as Dobey grabbed his shoulder and held on, giving the detective the support he needed to pull himself together. The tableau held for a few seconds, till Lt. Evans made his way to Hutch's side.

"What happened, Hutchinson? I thought the girl said the alarm was turned off."

"She did. One of our bright boys in there must have rigged it to prevent any surprises. We can't risk trying the back way again. Sooner or later, they will kill Starsky just out of frustration." Hutch rubbed his eyes, pulling his hand down the length of his face.

"Well, the SWAT captain is ready to use tear gas. The longer this goes on, the worse it gets. He isn't willing to risk losing another officer." Evans stated bluntly, giving Hutch the impression that Starsky was considered a casualty.

"Maybe he's right. If we can get them disabled, I can get in and pull Starsky out." Hutch said, looking at Dobey for permission.

"Let's go talk to Captain Joshua and see what he is planning." was Dobey's only comment.

Matt held Starsky firmly by his hair as the two men approached the front door. Len slowly pushed the door open, allowing Matt to shove Starsky into the open doorway where he would be clearly visible to the officers surrounding the diner. Leveling his gun at Starsky's head, Len called out to the assembly.

"You cops think you are so smart don't ya? You tried to rescue your little pal here, but you killed one of my men instead. Just for that, I thought I'd show you what your "heroism" cost you." Without waiting for a reply, Len lowered his gun and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into the side of Starsky's left thigh.

Starsky felt the shock and pain in his leg almost before he registered the sound of the gun going off. He was only vaguely aware of Matt's hands on his bound arms, holding him up and dragging him backward into the hot diner. His head reeled as he was thrown back against the serving bar. Looking up, Matt's smile of satisfaction was the last thing he saw as the blackness overtook him.

Len turned to the officers in front of him, laughing out loud at their looks of shock and anger. "He's got thirty minutes. If I don't see some cooperation out of you pigs, the next bullet goes through his brain!" Len slammed the door shut, making sure to stamp his foot in the pool of blood left on the hot cement.

It took the combined efforts of Dobey, Evans, and Joshua to hold Hutch back. A cold rage had settled over his features and anger contorted his face. "Let go of me! I'll kill that sonofabitch! There was no call to do that!" Hutch hissed between clenched teeth.

"Hutch! Hutchinson! Ken!" Dobey grabbed his friend by his upper arms and shook him soundly. "Listen to me. Dave needs you in control, not out of your head." Dobey squeezed Hutch's arms tightly, knowing that he was cutting off the circulation, but knowing that Hutch needed something to reconnect him with reality.

Hutch fixed his ice cold hands on his captain's shoulders and forced himself to take a deep breathe, then another. "I'm okay Cap. I'm okay now. Thanks." Hutch relaxed and felt the three men slowly release their holds on him and step back to give him time to compose himself. As the adrenaline surge ebbed, Hutch found himself staring at the dark pool in the diner's doorway and felt tears replace the rage. "I'm coming Starsky, just hold on. I'm coming." The litany replayed itself in his  
mind, giving the detective an anchor to hold onto and pull strength from.

Minutes later, Hutch felt strong enough to join Dobey, Evans and Joshua at the rear of the lead squad car. Without saying a word, he studied the map stretched across the trunk. Recognizing the map as an outline of the neighborhood, Hutch forced himself to listen to the plan Captain Joshua was outlining.

"I have men positioned here, here, and here." Joshua stabbed at the map with his stout forefinger. "We are going to launch the tear gas from the front. As they come out, we will attempt to capture them alive, we are prepared to take any necessary action to contain them. As soon as they are apprehended, you will go in and get your partner out of there, Hutchinson." Joshua ended, looking pointedly at the blond detective. "Until then, you stay back, out of the way."

Hutch's only answer was a curt nod and a mumble that might have been an agreement. His thoughts were on his dark-haired partner.

Matt dragged his unconscious prisoner back to his former position against the bar. Swearing loudly, he grabbed a handful of towels from under the bar and held them to the wound in Starsky's thigh. Ripping a final towel into strips, he knotted the strips together into a makeshift pressure bandage and tied it around the blood soaked towels.

"What the hell was that for? Now we don't have a chance in hell of getting out of here alive!" Matt jumped up and grabbed his brother by the collar as he shouted.

"He's ok. I just wanted them to know that I mean business." Len jerked back out of Matt's reach and walked over to the unconscious officer. Raising his booted foot, Len nudged Starsky on the injured leg, an evil grin crossing his features as Starsky moaned in pain.

"That's right, cop. I'm in charge here. No more of your smart remarks. Those fellow cops of yours outside won't dare do anything now. They're too afraid of getting you hurt worse, or killed. Funny huh, seeing as how you're gonna die anyway?" Len's voice was full of hateful laughter at Starsky's plight.

Starsky could feel the pain in his leg radiate up and down his body. Movement caused the pain to intensify, though he tried to muffle any sounds of pain. He was determined not to give his tormentors the pleasure of hearing his screams of pain. He kept his eyes closed and concentrated on his breathing, in and out, slow and regular. "Hutch," he whispered in his thoughts, "anytime man, you can come anytime now."

Outside the diner, Hutch looked at the late afternoon sun and rubbed his hand over his short blond hair. Starsky's ordeal had now lasted over three hours, and time was running out. Hutch could still see the pain and shock on his partner's face as the bullet had entered his leg.

Hutch stood staring at the front door of the diner, straining to catch a glimpse of his injured partner inside. He knew the possible damage a close shot like that could do to the nerves and muscles in Starsky's leg. Tears formed in his blue eyes and Hutch wiped at them angrily. Keeping a firm hold on his anger for strength, Hutch made his way over to where Dobey was conferring with Joshua and Evans.

"Give us five minutes to get into position." Joshua was saying as Hutch stood up. "We have two men with tear gas launchers. We will target the front windows on either side. Marks will fire first. Young will fire his five minutes later if nothing happens. The squad will go in at that point." He looked at Evans for his take on the plan.

"As soon as they call all clear, you go in and get your partner, Hutchinson. I have the paramedics on standby." Evans said to Hutch. His bright green eyes bored into the detective's blue ones. Evans was one of the few people in the department who understood the close bond between two men. Hutchinson would go in, invited or not, to help out his partner. "Mount up, everyone."

Drawing his gun, Hutch squatted down behind the door of the lead police unit. Doing a visual check of his gun, and checking his pocket for extra ammo, Hutch watched as the SWAT team members took up their positions to his right and left. One by one, the men nodded to Joshua to indicate their readiness.

Evans picked up the mike from his radio and turned on the PA system. "In the diner! This is your last warning. Toss out your weapons and come out, or we will be forced to come in after you!"

A hail of gunfire answered his call, forcing the assembled officers to duck for cover. With a nod to Evans and Joshua, Marks stepped out just long enough to fire his tear gas grenade into the building. He ducked back down quickly, feeling the wind from the gunshots that answered his challenge. A grin and a thumbs up to his partner was all he had time for to show that he was  
uninjured as the bullets continued to fly.

"Tear gas! Oh man!" Matt wiped his streaming eyes as his lungs burned for air. To his right, he could hear his brother's voice screaming obscenities at the cops outside as he emptied his clip. The gas was settling down around them, choking off the oxygen in the room and forcing them to try and dry the tears flooding their eyes.

Pain and rage filled the young man's head as he grabbed Len's arm and forcefully spun him around to face him. "Now what! We're dead man! I'm getting outta here. Take the cop's deal and let's walk. It beats being dead."

Len gave his brother a cold look. "Go ahead, leave, see if I care. But so help me God, if you do, I'll kill you myself." His red eyes and heaving chest gave him an unearthly appearance. "Grab the cop, then follow me out the back."

Matt staggered as Len pushed him toward the bar. Dropping to his hands and knees, Matt felt around for their bound hostage. Starsky was lying on his side, gasping for air. No amount of pulling, pushing, or yelling could move the unconscious man. Finally, Matt gave up and ran for the kitchen. He had almost found the back door when he heard Len yelling at the cops out front one more time.

"You missed! You pigs think you're so great! You killed your fellow cop in here ya know! And I'm still alive. I'M STILL ALIVE! Think about that!" A fresh burst of gunfire erupted out of Len's gun, answered by an equally sharp answer from outside the diner.

Matt made it back to the front room in time to see his brother's bloody body sink to the floor. His handsome features contorted in rage as he stared at the bloody heap that remained of his only family. Before he could act, the front door burst open, and several black clad bodies pressed into the room, tearing his weapon out of his hands and forcing him up against the wall. Matt offered no resistance as he was handcuffed and led out the door.

Hutch made his way into the room with the crowd of SWAT team members and found his wayward partner laying on the floor. Hutch took in the bloody cuts, the bruises on his jaw, and the sweat on Starsky's unconscious face. Bending low over his partner, Hutch reached for his handcuff keys to release Starsky's restraints. As he did, he realized that Starsky wasn't breathing.

"PARAMEDIC!"

Hutch gathered his partner up in his arms and moved toward the door. He knew that he had to get Starsky out of the gas filled room before he could get help. Coughing, with tears streaming down his own face, Hutch met the paramedics at the door.

"Help me get him outside. He's not breathing." Hutch reported. Firmly but gently, Starsky was taken from him and laid down on the curb across the street from the diner. Hutch stood behind them and ran both hands through his untidy blond hair. His face was pale and haggard and his blue eyes were dull with worry. He lost track of everything except the movements of the two paramedics trying to save his best friend's life.

One of the paramedics immediately checked for a pulse and respirations.

"Bag." he requested. The second paramedic handed him a green balloon like bag connected to a face mask that was placed over the unconscious officer's face before starting to gently pump air into Starsky. While the first medic was busy with the bag, the second took vital signs and reported to the hospital. After receiving instructions, he inserted a tube down Starsky's throat. The bag was reattached and then an IV was started. Finally, Starsky was loaded into the ambulance for the trip to  
the hospital.

Hutch was aware of words like, "possible allergic reaction", "no response", and "prepare for possible trach tube". In his worried state, he couldn't fathom the meanings of the words, but their ominous ring sent chills down his spine. He jumped when a hand touched his elbow.

"You can ride with us, detective. He's stable for now, but we've got to go." The young black paramedic smiled gently at the blond officer. "Just jump in the back here." Hutch smiled his thanks as he climbed into the waiting ambulance. The doors closed and the ambulance sped off with it's precious cargo.

During the seemingly endless ride, Hutch kept one hand on Starsky's shoulder. He watched as one medic kept up the constant rhythmic squeezing on the ambu bag. The second medic busied himself taking another set of vital signs and hooking his patient to a cardiac monitor. Hutch couldn't understand what the lines and squiggles on the monitor signified. All of his attention was focused on his partner.

"How do you do it, Starsk? I let you out of my sight for five minutes, and look what happens to ya. Dobey isn't going to let you out the door by yourself for a year." A single tear made it's way down his cheek. "Just hold on Starsky, just hold on."

Arriving at the hospital, Starsky was whisked into a room out of sight. Hutch was steered to the waiting area by a concerned nurse and told to sit quietly. He sat, eyes glued to door that led to the examination room. Time ceased to have meaning for him. Somewhere along the line, Captain Dobey joined him, handing him a steaming cup of coffee to break the silence.

"Any word yet?" Dobey asked softly.

"Not yet. When did you get here?" Hutch asked, blinking his eyes to clear them of sand.

"A while ago. You seemed a little...distracted." Dobey said, keeping his voice low.

"Sorry about that. I just keep seeing Starsk, lying there, not breathing." Hutch took a deep breath to steady himself. "What if he doesn't make it this time? I've been here too many times, Cap. I've watched him go through those doors and wondered if he would ever come back out. I don't know how many more times he can take it." Now his head and voice lowered. "I don't know how many more times I can take it."

Dobey put his hand on Hutch's shoulder, willing him to take strength from his friends. He knew that Hutch felt responsible for his happy-go-lucky partner and wouldn't accept that fate dealt the cards. Dobey also realized Hutch considered himself the "senior" partner and that Starsky was the kid brother Hutch had never had. Everyone at Metro knew that the partnership was more than friendship, but no one could guess at the depth of feeling between the two. Dobey himself wasn't sure he understood it, but he felt blessed to be a small part of it.

"Starsky has been through worse. He'll pull through this time too." Dobey said, unsure if he was saying it for Hutch's benefit, or his own.

The two men sat in a strained, yet companionable silence. Dobey had given up trying to get Hutch to respond to him and just sat, letting Hutch know that he wasn't alone. Hutch was distant and uncommunicative, pouring all of his energy into trying to see through the wooden door that stood between him and his partner.

Hours later, a small, petite woman in surgical scrubs approached the two officers. "Are you waiting on news about Det. Starsky?"

Hutch jumped out of his chair, taking notice of the twinge in his back and the numbness in his backside. "I'm his partner, Ken Hutchinson. How is my partner?"

"I'm Dr. Ellis. Your partner is sleeping peacefully. He had an allergic reaction to the tear gas. We got to him in time to prevent his airway from closing up entirely. I just finished the surgery on his leg. He's in recovery now and we'll move him to a room when he wakes up. You can see him then." The small woman smiled up at the tall detective and his even bigger companion. "Go home now. You both look like you could use the rest. Mr. Starsky will sleep for at least the next ten to twelve hours."

Dobey spoke up before Hutch could object. "Thank you Dr. I'll make sure that Hutch here gets cleaned up before he comes back. You will call us if there is any change?" The question came out as more of an order, but the doctor just grinned.

"Yes sir. I've been warned about these two gentlemen. That's why I am insisting that Det. Hutchinson gets some rest while his partner is asleep. I've been assured that I will not be able to get him out from under foot for the rest of the time that his friend is our guest." A broad grin crossed her face as she recalled the exact conversation she had had with the ER nurse. She watched with an amused smile as the big captain manhandled his protesting detective out the emergency room door to the parking lot.

First thing the following morning, Hutch walked into Starsky's hospital room. He found his curly haired partner still sleeping peacefully, a single IV in his hand and an oxygen tube passing under his nose. His injured leg was encased in a brace and a bandage covered one of the many bruises on his face. The nurse at the desk outside had reported that Starsky had slept peacefully all night and hadn't shown signs of waking up.

Hutch approached the bed quietly, not wanting to wake his partner, while needing to see his partner wake up. He recognized the conflicting feelings inside and smiled softly. Hutch sat down the coffee and newspaper he had brought with him and stood at the side of Starsky's bed, reaching over the safety rail to lay his hand on his partner's forehead.

"Time to wake up now, buddy. You slept all night." Hutch stroked the pale forehead as he spoke. "Not ready yet, huh? That's okay. You just take your time." Hutch moved his hand down to take Starsky's. "Dobey says I can have the day off. Like I would be any use to him there anyway. You, on the other hand, have a whole bunch of reports to finish up. I did some of them on the drug bust, but this whole hostage thing, you gotta do."

Hutch's voice started shaking with remembered emotion. "I am so sorry, buddy. I couldn't do anything to help. I just sat there. I didn't even know you where in trouble. If only I'd not made you mad enough to run off, I could have been there for you." Tears made their silent way down the handsome face, shining in the bright blue eyes. "Come on, Starsky. Do something here. The doc says you're gonna be fine, but you've gotta wake up."

A warm feeling encased him, making him feel safe and comfortable. Starsky floated in between sleep and wakefulness, not wanting to lose the warmth he felt for the unknown. A voice intruded on his peace, a voice that he should know, but wasn't quite able to make out. Memories began to filter in through the dark, memories that he didn't want to face. Pain, fear, choking, he tried to push them away, tried to run, to escape back to the safe place he had found.

Hutch noticed the small movements under his hand and smiled, knowing that Starsky was beginning to wake up. He continued gently stroking the dark head, murmuring words of encouragement. Relief turned to fright as Starsky's movements became more frantic and he began to fight for breath. Starsky's eyes popped open, wide and unseeing.

"Hutch! Help me! It hurts, oh man it hurts. Where are you, Hutch?" his frantic cries slowly gave way to a whimper of pain and abandonment. "I'm sorry, Hutch. I shouldn't have run off like that. Please find me now."

Hutch lowered the side rail and sat on the edge of the bed, gathering Starsky up into his arms and holding him tightly. "It's ok, Starsky. You're safe now. Wake up for me. It's Hutch, I'm here and I've got you." Hutch fought to keep the tears out of his voice as he held tightly to his friend. Slowly, he felt Starsky's body begin to relax as he pulled himself to wakefulness. Gently, Hutch laid Starsky back down and smiled at the pain filled man who meant so much to him.

"Welcome back. Sounded like one hell of a nightmare." Hutch commented, keeping his voice light.

"No kidding." Starsky turned his head to face the wall, not wanting his friend to see the terror that he knew lingered in his eyes. "It's over huh?"

"Yea, it's over. One guy got out alive. He's in custody." the blond man confirmed. He sat back down in the small visitor's chair. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." was the simple answer. "I'm so very tired." Starsky turned back to look at Hutch. "I guess a 'Thank you' is in order?"

"Not this time. I think, I know I owe you an apology. If I hadn't been so..."

"Annoying?" A sparkle hinted in the blue eyes.

Hutch nodded, accepting the label. "Annoying, you wouldn't have felt the need to run off. You wouldn't have been in there alone." Some of the guilt he was feeling made it's unwelcome way into his voice.

"And those people would have all died." It was a flat statement, not a question. "At least Lyn got out alive."

The blonde detective grabbed Starsky's hand in his own. "She's alive, because you cared enough to save her. Just remember that, she's alive because of you."

"No, Hutch. She's alive because Sid stood up to those psychos. All I did was shoot my mouth off and get into trouble again. I think..." His voice trailed off and he stared, unblinking at the ceiling. "I think it's time to quit."

"Quit?" Hutch asked, puzzled.

"Yea. Quit as in leave the force. I'm no good to anyone if all I can manage to do is get shot up every time I leave the station. It's happening more and more. I feel it everyday. The next time, I won't make it, or worse yet, I'll screw up and get you killed. I won't do it, not anymore." Starsky tightened his hold on Hutch's hand. "Tell Dobey, I quit."

"Starsky, you can't just quit. A lot of people count on you. I count on you." Hutch struggled to make Starsky see the truth in his words. He started to say more when a gentle knock sounded on the door.

The door was pushed open slowly and Lyn walked into the room. She was holding a small bunch of flowers in one hand and her red hair was pulled back into a long ponytail. "I heard you were here and I wanted to stop by and give you these. I also wanted to say thank you."

"For what? I didn't do anything?" Starsky said as he pulled himself up higher in the bed.

"Yes you did. You kept me from getting too scared. Sid was proud to call you his friend."

"Sid's dead and I did nothing to help him." Bitterness tinged the patient's words.

"Sid's dead, but you helped him. Sid told me how you came last year and helped run the place when he had that heart attack. And how about the softball team last summer? You stepped in to umpire when Sid came down with the flu? Sid told me that people like you are treasures to hold on to. You have so much to give, that you can't help but be there when things go wrong." Lyn bent down and kissed Starsky on the forehead. "I heard what you were just saying to Hutch. Please don't quit. Too many people need you, and they don't even realize it yet." Her green eyes shone with unshed tears. Starsky smiled back at her, some of his boyish charm shining in his smile. "I'll think about it. You just take care of yourself."

After Lyn had left, Starsky hunched down in the thin blanket and curled up as much as he was able. Hutch leaned in close to him, laying his hand on Starsky's shoulder.

"You need to go home, Hutch." Starsky's voice was quiet. "You need your rest and all I'm gonna do is sleep. I'll see ya tomorrow morning." The dismissal was plain.

Hutch stood up, trying to find the words to comfort his partner. Starsky's life and well-being meant everything to Hutch, he couldn't bear to see the frail man that the "overgrown kid" had become. "I'll stay with you till you fall asleep, then I'll go." Hutch said gently. He waited for the answer that he knew wouldn't come. Heaving a heavy sigh, Hutch settled himself in the plastic chair at the edge of the bed and stared at his hands. His thoughts chased each other around in his head. Did he really  
have the right to demand that Starsky stay on the force? How many times had Starsky been hurt? He tried to think of all the times and came up with a number that was unbeliveable. It was no wonder that Starsky was tired. Maybe things would look different tomorrow. Maybe Starsk would see that quitting wasn't the only option. There were different jobs in the department, jobs that wouldn't make him a target. But would Starsky be happy behind a desk?

Soft snoring from the bed interrupted his musings. Hutch rose quietly and stood at the bedside. Lines of pain were etched around his partner's mouth and eyes. Even in his sleep, Starsky was in pain. Hutch just wished he could be sure the pain was only from his injuries, and not a deeper ache in his soul. A hand reached out to smooth Starsky's brow, willing the pain away and leaving behind a feeling of peace and security. "Whatever you decide, buddy. I'm with you all the way." he whispered before leaving the room.

He never heard Starsky's whispered response, "Thank you, Hutch."

The rest of the day passed fitfully for the injured detective. Around 6:00 that evening, he gave up trying to sleep when the nurse came in for the fourth time to check his vitals and IV. An orderly came in with his supper tray and fixed up the bed so that Starsky was sitting more or less upright. After promising to return in half an hour, the orderly left. Starsky was looking at the beef and noodles when his door opened again.

Jim Reed and his partner, Pete Malloy entered the room slowly. Reed was on crutches and Malloy was standing behind him, giving every impression that he was ready to catch his partner if he fell. Starsky grinned slightly, remembering how many times Hutch had done that for him.

"We just came by to see how you were doing." Reed said as he stuck out his hand, "Jim Reed, we met a few months ago at the technology seminar. This is my partner, Pete Malloy. We were at the diner yesterday."

"I remember you. You had some really good ideas at that seminar. Did you get your fancy crutches yesterday?" Starsky knew he wasn't being very subtle, but needed to hear the truth.

"Yea, I did. I was so busy trying to keep up with your partner that I lost my footing. You did a hell of a job in there by the way. It had to have been rough, but you did a great job keeping those guys talking. You had your partner really worried. That's how I got shot, trying to watch his back." Jim looked down around for a place to sit.

"Five years on the force and the kid hasn't learned how to duck yet." Malloy said, smiling at his younger partner as he sat down in the visitor's chair beside the bed. "We were backing up Sgt. Hutchinson. He had a key to the back door, but the perps had rigged the alarm. We barely got out of the way in time. Jim went down and I covered him and your partner." Malloy crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his slightly embarrassed partner. "I've got a question for you. Is Hutchinson always that focused? How do you keep him under control?" Malloy asked.

"What do you mean?" Starsky leaned forward, his dinner forgotten.

"Maybe I shouldn't say anything, but he was out of it for a while there. I have never seen a man so focused on one thing. He didn't even notice when Jim went down. If he hadn't of run out of ammo, he would have stayed right there. I thought I was going to have to drag him out." Malloy stopped speaking and looked at his partner for confirmation.

"He's right, Starsky. We didn't report his actions to your captain, but you really need to keep an eye on him." Jim stood up awkwardly and leaned on his crutches. "We've got to go. Take care of yourself, and your partner."

"Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me. And thanks for taking care of Hutch for me." Starsky's eyes said more to Malloy, who just nodded in acknowledgment.

After the two had left, Starsky pushed away the cold remains of his dinner and used the control to lower the head of his bed back down to a more reclined position. He stared at the ceiling, not caring about the tears that leaked down the sides of his face. He knew that he couldn't quit the force now. Hutch needed him, needed him to watch his back, and keep him on an even keel. Hutch was the emotional one, the one who couldn't help but show everything he was feeling. His mother hen routine was only one of the moods that Starsky had dealt with.

He looked back over his long partnership with Hutch. How many times had Hutch gotten mad, or torn up, or depressed over one of their cases. It happened more often than either one of them was willing to admit. Taking the objective view, Starsky found himself as the non-emotional one, giving Hutch the freedom to feel for both of them. "Fine then," he whispered to the fading sunlight, "I'll make you a deal. I'll keep Hutch and his emotions in check and he can watch my back."

"I'll take it." Starsky looked up in shock at Hutch framed in the door. Hutch came in and shut the door behind him. In one hand, he held a paper bag that smelled delicious.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to go home and get some rest." Starsky said, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying.

"I couldn't rest. And I knew that you wouldn't eat the stuff the hospital calls food around here. Huggy fixed you up a care package." Hutch set the bag on the tray table and seated himself on the edge of the bed. "You wanna tell me about it?"

"There's nothing to tell. I had a couple of visitors earlier. They told me what happened with you at the diner. I'll bet Dobey has already pinned your ears back for you."

"He had a few words to say. Something to the effect that I need to learn a little patience." Hutch smiled as he lifted the wrapped hamburger out of the bag and raised the head of the bed. "Now, what where you talking about?"

"Us. I guess I'll have to stay on now. Someone has to watch your back and keep you under control. I heard how you reacted at the diner. You nearly got yourself shot." Starsky stared at his partner. "I can't quit until you do. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you because I wasn't there."

Hutch grasped one of Starsky's hands in both of his. "I can't promise that nothing will ever happen again. But I can promise to be there for you, if you'll let me. That's our agreement, right? Thee and me, trusting in each other, being there for each other?" Hutch's eyes were searching for the answer in Starsky's.

A broad grin broke over Starsky's face as his decision was made. "Yeah. That works for me. Just back off on the mother hen mode, will ya?"

Hutch's face lit up with a matching grin. "I'll promise to back off, if you promise to stop volunteering for target practice."

"Deal. Now, l'm starving! Let's eat."

THE END

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